Tether and Georgian Government Plan Lari-Pegged GELT Stablecoin

Tether, a major global stablecoin issuer, is working with the government of Georgia on GELT, a stablecoin pegged to the country’s fiat currency, the lari. It is explicitly intended to be a privately issued stablecoin rather than a central bank digital currency. The initiative has implications for Georgia’s cross-border trade, digital payments and implementation of its digital-asset regulatory regime.

As of July 19, 2026, Tether and the Georgian government had announced plans to launch GELT under a new digital-asset regulatory framework. The stablecoin will be subject to National Bank of Georgia requirements covering reserve assets, issuer oversight and anti-money-laundering controls. The parties have not disclosed a formal launch date, initial issuance amount or reserve size, with regulatory and technical details still to be finalized.